International Seminar on Environmental Succession and Lake Ecosystem in Arid Regions of Central Asia (from August 21 to August 25, 2008)

　　The seminar was chaired by the Bureau of Personnel and Education of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. More than 80 representatives, including scientists and graduate students from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and other countries, more than 10 scientific research units attended the seminar.

　　The seminar focused on environmental succession and ecological problems in lakes in Central Asian arid areas, and widely exchanged the research situation of latest development in environmental succession and lake ecosystem and explored the impact of the human activities on atmosphere, surface, soil, water and biological diversity, which, in turn, brings the great negative impacts on human society. The Seminar acknowledged that the environmental changes have a negative effect on human activities but can be controlled by human beings. It also proposed the management model to optimize lakes and river basin in Central Asian arid areas. The representatives agreed that the seminar provided an excellent platform for scientists of all countries to explore environmental changes and ecological problems in lakes in Central Asian arid areas and the latest scientific research results, and opened up broader prospects for further expansion of regional cooperation and deepening scientific and technological exchanges.